Ice Cream Bean, Thunderstorm and Brassia

What is an ice cream bean, you ask? Well, it’s proper name is Inga spectabilis. Here in Costa Rica, it is also know as guaba and pacay.

I first discovered this bean when I saw neighbours knocking down long brown beans from the tree in the vacant lot next to us and then carrying them home. So I went and picked some and identified them. Then I opened the pod and ate the yummy white fluffy stuff that surrounds the beans in the pod. It does taste somewhat like ice cream, a bit sweet.

They are in season now and I bought one at the grocery last week. It is a lot bigger then the vacant lot tree beans and the shell is a whole lot harder to open.

I tried cutting through the shell with a knife but it was hard going. The edges of the bean are iron hard so I couldn’t slice each piece open sideways.

I finally resorted to peeling off some of the outside skin and then smashing each piece with a hammer and then they started to split open. Here is what a guaba looks like inside. You pull out one of the fluffy white covered seeds, eat the fluff and spit out the seed. They tasted good.

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Such a strange looking legume. Here is some more information on guaba.

We had a very strong electrical storm last week. I made a video of it.

I have an orchid blooming right now - a Brassia. Here’s some information on this species from the American Orchid Society.

And finally, quite often when I buy a pineapple I plant the tops alongside our laneway. We are now being rewarded with two new young pineapples that will soon be reading for picking.

Click on photos to enlarge.